Master Sommelier
Joshua Orr
- Discipline
- Master Sommelier
- Based in
- San Diego, California, United States
i. Biography
Wine program leadership at Marina Kitchen in San Diego is built here from floor experience, bar perspective, and time spent inside the same operation in more than one role. Joshua Orr moved through the room as in-house sommelier, bar manager, and later wine director, and that progression gives the list a practical read on service, pacing, and how hospitality lands at the table.
The Path
Early work at fiamma at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, set the tempo for Joshua Orr's approach to wine and service. In that environment, pace and precision were part of the daily brief, and the discipline of the room helped shape the instincts he later carried into leadership. The stop matters less as a romantic beginning than as a working foundation: a place where the demands of the floor and the guest experience were encountered together. At Marina Kitchen at the San Diego Marriott Marquis, the role of wine director gathers those earlier responsibilities into one seat. The point is not simply selection; it is coordination. Joshua Orr's progression through the house gives the program a continuity that links the wine list to the mood, menu, and cadence of the restaurant.
The Work Today
Wine direction at Marina Kitchen is informed by having occupied several positions within the same operation. Joshua Orr oversees the wine program with a view shaped by those shifting vantage points, which means the list is handled not as a standalone object but as part of the dining room's larger mechanics. That perspective keeps the work grounded in service rather than presentation alone. The throughline from fiamma at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, to Marina Kitchen at the San Diego Marriott Marquis is steady accumulation. Each step added another layer of service knowledge and wine fluency, producing a career defined by progression rather than reset. In that sense, the current role reflects a long apprenticeship in how a restaurant works from the inside.
Career - wine director — Marina Kitchen at the San Diego Marriott Marquis, San Diego, California - worked at Fiamma — MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada
Acclaim
Joshua's honors include Top Somm (winner).
FAQ What is Joshua Orr's current role? As of 2026, Joshua Orr is Wine Director. Where did Joshua Orr work before? Joshua Orr's earlier career included MGM Grand. What recognition has Joshua Orr received? Top Somm (winner) (2014).
